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Toronto FC

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Template:MLS team Toronto FC is the name for a new Major League Soccer franchise in Toronto. They are to begin play in the 2007 season as the first non-U.S. team in the MLS.

History of the name

The name was officially announced on May 11 2006 by the team's owner, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.[1] The "FC" in the team's name is the conventional initialism for Football Club, but in official media and documents the team has only been referred to as Toronto FC, never Toronto Football Club. Larry Tannenbaum, chairman of MLSE, stated at the team name's unveiling that "I think the way we spell it is 'futbol'."[2].

The announcement followed an online consultation in which the public was invited to vote on the name during a limited period. The voting options were the Toronto Nationals, Inter Toronto FC, Toronto Reds, Toronto FC or the Toronto Northmen. MLSE's strategy in choosing "Toronto FC" following this process was based on two reasons. First, over 40% of the online vote supported this name in the consultation. Second, MLSE hopes that with this fairly generic name the new club will earn a more organic nickname (or nicknames) from the Toronto fans rather than have one imposed from above. It has been suggested that various ethnic and linguistic groups would provide the team with their unofficial nicknames drawing on their culture's soccer vernacular. The Italian-language nickname for the team, for instance, appears to be "i biancorossi" meaning the white-and-reds.[3]

Ownership

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) are the owners and operators of the Toronto Maple Leafs National Hockey League team, the Toronto Raptors National Basketball Association team, The Toronto Rock National Lacrosse League and the Toronto Marlies American Hockey League team. Along with owning professional sports teams, the company is also involved in real estate and property management, owning sports venues such as the Air Canada Centre and Oshawa Gardens. Richard Peddie, CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. has stated that he and the ownership expect between 13,000-15,000 fans per game at Toronto FC home games.

Home stadium

Construction has begun on a new stadium at Exhibition Place in Toronto called National Soccer Stadium at Exhibition Place where the new team will play. The stadium will hold roughly 20,000 people and will be the largest soccer-specific stadium in Canada. It is due to be finished in spring 2007, in time for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The stadium will be owned by the City of Toronto while MLSE, the team's owner, will operate it. The cost of the stadium is estimated at $62.5 million. MLS Commissioner Don Garber has stated that the 2008 MLS All-Star Game will take place in National Soccer Stadium at Exhibition Place, as will an MLS Cup by the year 2012.

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Toronto FC to join MLS fold in 2007". toronto.fc.mlsnet.com. Retrieved May 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Execs put on hot seat". slam.canoe.ca. Retrieved May 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Nascono i biancorossi della Toronto FC". corriere.com. Retrieved May 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

See also

Supporters Groups and Forums


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